Disney caterer to cut 128 jobs

Mark Kellam

Nearly 130 employees who work for a third-party food-services operation at Walt Disney Co. offices in Burbank and Glendale are slated to be laid off in early November, according to the California Employment Development Department.

The firm, Lifeworks Restaurant Group, is the dining division of Aramark, which provides food services, facilities management and uniforms to businesses, health care institutions, universities and stadiums around the world.

Aramark spokeswoman Sarah Jarvis confirmed that the Lifeworks employees will be laid off.

On Nov. 4, 77 Lifeworks employees will be laid off in Burbank and 51 workers will be let go in Glendale, according to listings of expected layoffs filed with the state.

California law requires that employers give workers and state officials a 60-day notice before a plant closing or mass layoff.

Sixty-two Lifeworks employees will be given pink slips at the Disney headquarters on Buena Vista Street, according to the state. The other affected employees work at ABC Family on Riverside Drive and at the company’s creative campus in Glendale.

Despite the languishing economy, the laid-off workers should be able to find work, according to John Blank, deputy chief economist with the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp.

“The prognosis actually looks fairly good for them,” he said.

The hospitality industry has been expanding in the past few months, and while job growth has stalled, it should ramp up again, Blank said.

Disney has shed more than 350 jobs this year, which could be behind the cutbacks at Lifeworks, he added.

“If a company is in reduction mode, they’re going to look across their cost lines,” he said.

Disney representatives could not be reached for comment Friday.

Aramark released a short statement that contained clues, but few specifics.

“We will no longer provide those services to this client location and will continue to work with the company that replaces us to help support a smooth transition for our employees and the operations,” the company said. “We are also working to provide impacted employees with access to other appropriate Aramark job openings in the area.”